(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an all-terrain, hybrid electric vehicle capable of air travel or flight by means of ducted fans, augmented by pressure jets for enhancement and steering. In particular, the present invention relates to a passenger vehicle that is capable of both ground travel and of travel through the air. A hybrid system allows a driver to selectively switch between an electric drive and an electric drive combined with a combustion engine drive for extended ground travel. The electric drive is quiet-running and is preferably used for short range, city type driving. In this mode, the vehicle does not emit by-products of hydrocarbon combustion and is essentially operating pollution free. The electric drive also provides a quiet, noise free drive for the passengers and helps to decrease noise pollution. The combustion engine drive can be a conventionally mounted gasoline engine or it can be a turbo-axle or turbine engine. The combustion engine drive is preferably used for peak performance such as acceleration and fast cruising on highways and for powering a generator of electricity.
In the flying car mode, the invention makes use of a plurality of ducted fans driven directly by the gasoline engine or the turbo-axle engine. For additional lift and fine steering control, small jets, powered by compressed air, are used. The compressed air is contained in a plenum chamber which can be part of the structure of the vehicle, or the air chamber can be stored on board when air travel is anticipated. The compressed air chamber can be recharged with an on-board centrifugal compressor driven directly by the engine or by the electric motor. Also, a thrust fan provides thrust along a longitudinal axis while a retractable rudder provides steering or directional control in flight.
An optional feature incorporates surface silicon-cell arrays in the roof and sides of the vehicle that transforms the vehicle into a solar car. To compensate for the loss of array efficiency imposed by the vehicle's shape, gallium arsenide solar cells may be used, either exclusively, or in conjunction with the silicon solar cells. The solar cells can energize the electric motor directly and also recharge the batteries which power the electric motor.
(2) Prior Art
The prior art has described various types of vehicles capable of both ground travel and of travel through the air. Illustrative of the prior art vehicles are Tucknott et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,276,528; Marchal et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,486,718; Budworth U.S. Pat. No. 3,494,575 and Eickmann U.S. Pat. No. 4,171,784.
Tucknott et al describes a ground travel vehicle with applied differential torque steering. The vehicle is preferably powered by two or more internal combustion engines that are geared to lateral fans and front and rear fans, and to ground engaging wheels. The lateral fans are arranged in rows of three on each of the longitudinal sides of the vehicle while the front and rear fans are arranged in rows of four at the front and the rear of the vehicle. The fans produce a jet that enables the vehicle to hover. Simultaneous driving of the wheels and the fans is used to achieve directional control and/or improved traction over soft ground. Stabilization in the air is effected by controlling the blade angle and/or rotational speed of the ducted fans differentially in both sides for roll, and fore-and-aft for pitch. Control of steering in the air is effected by means of vanes in the jet outlets to deflect the lifting thrust differentially so as to produce a yawing moment. Auxiliary jets may also be used for steering and control in the air. The vehicle also has flywheels that store extra energy to enable the vehicle to leap over obstacles.
Budworth describes a ground and air vehicle that has an arrangement of lift fans driven by a pair of forward gas turbine engines and a pair of aft turbine engines as prime movers for the vehicle. The turbine engines drive compressors that supply compressed air into the plenum chamber provided by the chassis structure of the vehicle. The chassis mounts four road wheels powered by the prime movers for ground travel. Steering the vehicle during ground travel provides no part of the invention. The chassis also provides for eight lifting units each comprised of a pod that houses a downwardly discharging lift fans driven by one of the gas turbines, the gas turbines being supplied with compressed gas from the plenum chamber. The vehicle depends for lift on the reaction of jet momentum downwards from each lift unit providing upward jet propulsion or lift. The vehicle is also provided with operator's control means which are moveable in two dimensions and accordingly control the admission of gas to each lift unit. This provides control in pitch and enables the altitude of the vehicle to be selected so that a component of thrust is useful as horizontal propulsive thrust.
Marchal et al describes a ground effect vehicle also known as an air-cushion vehicle which can be converted to a vertical take-off and landing machine. The vehicle has no wheels for ground travel, but instead relys on cushions of compressed air confined in bell-shaped plenum chambers fed through a manifold by a compressor driven by an engine. The vehicle uses downwardly oriented rockets located at the four corners of the vehicle to "leapfrog" over obstacles. The rocket propulsion is provided by an engine driven air-screw or ducted fans. An engine driven air-screw provides for movement over the ground.
Eickmann describes a combination air and ground traveling vehicle having a lowerable chassis. The vehicle has four road wheels for ground travel and is equipped with a plurality of propellers, each driven by a rotary hydraulic motor of the radial piston type for air travel. The hydraulic motors include dual hydraulic rotors with each rotor being supplied with fluid by a separate hydraulic pump to form a redundant drive system. For air travel, the propellers are mounted in oblique air ducts for shrouds that are pivotable in the direction of travel. The pumps and the motors are mounted on a lowerable and retractable substructure which is lowered below the body for stabilizing flight and retracted into the body when traveling on the ground. Steering is provided by a rudder, elevation or yaw stabilizing means.
In addition to the prior art discussed above, electric cars, gasoline engine cars and flying machines all have their individual histories. Although battery powered, electric cars are not a panacea for the energy and pollution problems plaguing our industralized world, they do provide substantial improvement for the pollution generated by combustion engines. Batteries store the energy generated at a central electrical plant and avoid emitting local pollution, which is critical in large cities. The pollution emitted at the central plant is less per unit of power output than it is for vehicles with combustion engines. In that respect, electric cars buy time to resolve the problem of ever increasing global demand for energy sources in our quest to find alternatives to pollution creating fossil fuels. Also, battery-powered vehicles could get their energy from a non-polluting renewable source such as hydroelectric, solar or wind power, as well as from conventional fossil fuels.
Until recently, any effort to design a battery powered vehicle has been inhibited by the assumption that a gasoline burning alternative can do the job better, even if fuel prices rise substantially. For this reason, a hybrid vehicle that incorporates the advantages of an electric vehicle with a gasoline powered one, thus combining some of the benefits of both systems, is logical. A hybrid vehicle uses electric propulsion for low speed, short range city driving, and gasoline power for rapid acceleration, high speed and long range highway operation. Present hybrids include the Peugeot 205 Supermini.TM. which has a 72 volt Ni--Cd battery pack powering a 16 horsepower DC motor front train, and the Audi Duo Quattro.TM. which uses a gasoline front drive and a Ni--Cd battery powered rear train with a 12.8 horsepower electric motor.
However, what is needed is a hybrid electric powered vehicle that is capable of travel through the air. The hybrid electric vehicle of the present invention uses a plurality of ducted fans and flight controlling pressure jets to enable the vehicle to travel through the air. This enables a driver of the hybrid vehicle to reach remote areas that would normally not be accessible by ground travel and to bypass road obstacles, thus decreasing travel time.